Faust

John Peel

Disc, Feb 1972

The first time I heard tell of Faust was when I saw their extraordinary first LP in its equally extraordinary sleeve and felt that, regardless of the music within, I had to acquire one. When the music turned out to be highly original and very exciting that was a welcome bonus.

Their single It's a Bit Of a Pain occured during sessions for the second LP - which I've not yet heard - and will serve as an introduction to the band. I would advise you to hear the LP though because it must be one of the most important of the past few years. It's not often that you hear a band that is heading off in a totally new direction - and it's surprising that when you do many of those bands are from the Continent. It would be easy to say that Faust's music was Germanic and to let it go at that but I don't think that would be enough. It's really music born of a technological age in which there is neither time nor room for sentiment. Faust paint a bleak vision with music in much the way Leonard Cohen or Nico do with words. It is not easy to describe it in terms of what has gone before.